1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information processing, and more specifically to a system and method for allowing users to remotely test enterprise application software.
2. Description of the Related Art
Enterprise application software (EAS), also known as enterprise software, is software used in organizations, such as in a business or government. Services provided by EAS are typically business-oriented tools such as online shopping and online payment processing, interactive product catalogue, automated billing systems, security, content management, information technology service management, customer relationship management, resource planning, business intelligence, human resources management, manufacturing, application integration, and forms automation. EAS is typically hosted on servers and provides simultaneous services to a large number of users, typically over a computer network. EAS contrasts with a single-user application that is executed on a user's personal computer and serves only one user at a time.
Extensive testing of EAS generally precedes organization-wide deployment. Purchase of EAS often ranges from thousands of US dollars to millions of US dollars. Also, computing platforms often vary from organization to organization. (A “computing platform” refers to a particular hardware architecture and software framework that allows the EAS to execute.) Furthermore, EAS may have varying customizations from organization to organization. For these exemplary reasons and because deployment of EAS often affects many users within an organization, extensive testing of EAS should generally precede organization-wide deployment.
The testing process of EAS prior to organizational-wide deployment, involves several operations. FIG. 1 depicts one exemplary, pre-deployment EAS testing process 100. In operation 102, testing personnel request allocation of a new testing server or servers that will be used for EAS testing. Because EAS generally utilizes a number of different purposed servers, generally, multiple test servers are allocated for the purposes of EAS testing. The servers may be purposed as application servers, database servers, etc. Allocation of a new testing server or servers takes time T1, and T1 can often take up to one (1) week and can involve acquiring a new testing server or servers, providing a working network environment, configuring the servers for their purpose, and segregating the test servers into a test environment rather than a ‘live’ operational environment.
In operation 102, software is downloaded to the testing servers, installed, and the testing servers are setup. The software includes not only the EAS but also, for example, software library files, Java™, database applications, etc. Operation 102 takes time T2, and time T2 can often take up to one (1) additional week.
In operation 104, testing and problem reporting begins. A large part of the testing operation 104 involves problem reporting. Problem reporting often involves setup issues, and 60-80% of all problems can often be related to setup issues. Operation 104 takes time T3, and time T3 can take 2-5 weeks or more. Problem reporting, trouble-shooting, and applying fixes also requires a large amount of interfacing with the EAS supplier thereby incurring personnel costs by the EAS supplier.
Additionally, operations 102, 104, and 106 involve the allocation of knowledgeable testing personnel. Delays, sometimes on the order of months, may occur in obtaining personnel with the right mix of skills to conduct all of operations 102, 104, and 106.
Consequently, EAS deployment is often a 6-12 month process. Because of the large time delays involved in deploying EAS, the acquisition rate of new EAS software is relatively low compared with many other product purchases.